Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Quantum Leap’s Deborah Pratt teases more links between old and new series: ‘Keep watching’
The voice of Ziggy and creative team veteran fielded questions from fans on Reddit.
Three episodes in, and NBC’s newly-revived Quantum Leap has already shown that it’s deeply in sync with the 1990s series that first got the time-travel ball rolling. Though the cast is all new, a big reason for the thematic continuity stems from the makeup of the new show’s creative team, which once again counts original creator Donald P. Bellisario and producer Deborah Pratt among the executive producers leading the rejuvenated series’ second run.
Known to longtime fans as the voice of sassy computer AI Ziggy, Pratt recently sat in for a Reddit AMA session, serving up a handful of on-the-nose answers to specific fan questions about the new Quantum Leap revival. But she also dished some enticing hints about episodes that haven’t yet aired, and even teased the series has a bigger picture in mind; one that threads its stories together to connect its present-day arc with Quantum Leap lore from the past.
Asked whether the new show might incorporate earlier storylines from “revival” scripts written after the 1990s series abruptly ended its five-season run, Pratt didn’t offer any details — but she definitely sounded like someone who knows the answer: “Keep watching.” Similarly, when asked if new chief leaper Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) might leap into the body of an old-school host who’s already been inhabited by predecessor Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula), Pratt kept things coy: “Hmmmm, that could be fun,” she responded. “Why not?”
The original Quantum Leap is well known for at times taking on delicate themes, as Sam leapt from the sensibilities of his 1980s and 1990s haunts into past periods of social turmoil. Pratt assured an inquisitive fan that the new series already has its sights set on doing much the same thing in the present day — though three decades on from the old-school show, the topical content has shifted.
“[I]n 2023 we have a wonderful episode that I feel in these times is truly brave,” Pratt explained. “What we did best on the old show when we tackled important subject matter, was to lay out both sides of the issues at hand and accept the fact that our audience is intelligent enough and open minded enough to listen, feel, learn and walk in someone else's' shoes. I hope that you will help create a digital water cooler to have a loving conversation after this and all of the shows because that's what Quantum Leap is about.”
Thankfully, someone thought to ask Pratt which of the earlier series’ episodes have resonated with her the most. Her response tapped straight into the show’s reputation for tackling difficult material. “As far as my favorite from the 25 episodes I wrote, that's a hard one,” she shared. “'The Color of Truth,' 'So Help Me God,' 'Black and White on Fire,' 'Shock Theater,' and 'The Trilogy' have a special place in my heart. Many of them still resonate today. We need to become better humans.”
Fortunately for viewers, not all of Pratt’s nearest and dearest Quantum Leap episodes remain stuck (like Sam Beckett) in the past. Asked to name her favorite new episode from the show’s current season, she hinted we’ll just have to wait a while and see: “Ask me after [the] Halloween episode! Eeeeeeeek.”
Hey, we’re already well into October, so it won't be too long before fans get to see what’s got Pratt so excited (and maybe even a little spooked). Catch new episodes of Quantum Leap each Monday at NBC, and dial up next-day streaming at Peacock.
